Relocating to Atlanta, USA for two years

[ArtichokeAardvark]

An opportunity has come up with DH's job for us to relocate to Atlanta for a couple of years. We have two children (8 and 6) and a dog.

Whilst I initially loved the idea of moving abroad for a couple of years (it's probably the last opportunity for us to do it and not impact kids' schooling), I'm now second guessing myself when I look into the practicalities.

Can anyone offer any insight about moving to Atlanta, or the US generally? Cost of living, quality of public schools, difficulty of relocating?

Can I continue working remotely for my UK company whilst there? I know I won't be able to get a job out there, but wasn't sure of tax / visa implications of working for a UK firm..

I can’t help with a lot of the technicalities but I would be a bit cautious about Atlanta. I’ve been a couple of times for work and my US colleagues have always told me to be quite careful as the crime rate in Atlanta is quite high. It will probably depend where you are based but just wanted to share what I had heard.

If you don't know anything about Atlanta then you're in for a shock, you'll likely reconsider if you knew how bad the crime is there.

No, you won't be able to continue working for your UK company. Tax rules won't allow it.

No. The President is a moron and he has an especial dislike of Atlanta as they couldn't "find" his votes.

I just came back from a week in Atlanta (for work), I go once a quarter and MY GOD, it's grim!

The city is a crime ridden hellhole, and I grew up in the roughest part of a major city so have a fairly high tolerance of grimness. The suburbs (Alpharetta etc.) are charmless highways with dotted houses and Walmarts.

I wouldn't spend any more time there than I absolutely had to. Bleugh.

I don't love Atlanta, but I don't think it's that awful. I can think of much higher crime cities than that, and the suburbs are fine. What I dislike about it is how sprawling it is. You live in traffic, and I say that as someone who lives near DC. At least we have parts that are walkable and we have transit, which Atlanta really doesn't. This one would hinge on the job for me, if it was something special like a university position that wouldn't come up elsewhere I could tolerate it for a couple of years, but I wouldn't go there just for fun.

I’m in that area but not an Atlanta address ‘officially’ but inside the i285 ( bit like the M25 but much smaller) we are happy and can give you the low down on safe areas, we live in a pretty low crime area and feel safer than we did in our London home walking home at night. There are good and bad school districts and safer/ less safe areas just like London so it’s just if you feel the move is right for you. I do agree that the political situation is grim here right now but have hope for the future, happy to DM if you want and would appreciate some insight from someone who is actually boots on the ground

Just to reiterate for those saying how grim it is, we have lived here for 10 years and no break ins, no muggings no phone theft - all of these things happened in our ‘naice’ Dulwich area, for the people who have visited I do agree that there are areas that are charmless/grim ( you learn where to go and where not to) but it’s not all the same. Is London one big cohesive place? Not from my memory. If it’s for a job that would help career progression and the money/health benefits/package is good then you have to do your research- happy to help if you want

I lived in Atlanta for 10 years and had both my children there. We moved back to the UK a couple of years ago to be closer to family BUT I miss it A LOT. It is a great place to raise children. I think Atlanta is a really under-rated city, it's got a bit of a shady reputation that modern day Atlanta no longer deserves.

Pros:

• Schools have way better facilities and resources with smaller class sizes. Make sure you research your schools & district well though. You will have a directly allocated school for your address and that's where you go, so make sure it's a good one.
• The weather (I miss this the most)! Winters are mild and sunny, sweater weather but sitting round the fire pit with a blanket drinking style chilly. They'll be the odd freezing spell for a week where it might snow (rarely) and you can have soup all week and bask in how cozy it all is, but it goes before it gets old. Summers are scorching but I loved it, we'd finished work and go BBQ at the pool, it felt like a mini vacation everyday.
• The local parks are phenomenal - better than stuff we pay for here. There are parks and rec departments who also run loads of fab free events. Check out Chastain Park & Peachtree Corners Playground to start with. They also have free splash pads at most parks which are amazing in the summer.
• The beaches - throw everything in your massive SUV and book a beach house on 30A Florida. 5 hour drive and some of the most stunning beaches you'll ever see.
• Fantastic wildlife and outdoors - There are loads of state parks, they are easily accessible, well maintained and just gorgeous. Stone mountain is cool to hike up. Lots of hiking round the Chattahoochee. Amazing apple festivals in fall in Blue Ridge and Ellijay. We had such wildlife in our garden - hummingbirds, deer, woodpeckers but watch out for the snakes and coyotes.
• The economy - Atlanta is booming. Food is expensive but wages are significantly higher and rent, energy and taxes are significantly lower. You will be tax resident there ( a good thing) but this also means you will need a visa to carry on your job (I think). But I would get your husband's company to check all this as part of your relocation package. It depends on your visas ,but my husband's company paid for my work permit, although it took a couple of months to come through as I couldn't apply until in the country.
• Brewery culture - Amazing tasting beer in the sunshine where the kids are welcomed. Count me in.
• The food - Please send some Birria Tacos and some queso my way 😋. Amazing Mexican food. The BBQ is to die for - highly recommend a trip to Fox Brothers if you end up moving. Also you need to go to Matthew's Cafeteria for some Fried Chicken. Chick-fil-A , Waffle House and loads of amazing high level eateries as well.
• Bass Pro - and make sure you get your Santa pictures there.
• The expat community is so welcoming and you can make many friends this way
• Healthcare - Once you know what you are doing the accessibility to and quality of care is far better than the NHS. Only if your employer is supplying excellent insurance though.

Cons:

• Driving EVERYWHERE. Although there is the argument it gets too hot to walk in the summer anyway.
• Downtown Atlanta. It's just grim. I'm sure this is why it has such a bad reputation.
• The politics - Either overly woke or overly conservative. Divisive and there's no middle ground, you can't avoid it but to be honest I kind of feel like the UK is heading this way too🤷.
• Guns - Funnily enough I never saw one except on police but you know they're there. I never realised how much I just had this on the back of my mind all the time until I moved back here but it wasn't really scary so to speak, I was just mindful of it, alert and aware.
• Healthcare - the system is hard to navigate and you will get stung by unexpected costs. The care is absolutely worth it though.

For somewhere to live I would recommend looking at the North East quadrant right around the I285. Tucker, Decatur and Lilburn are great places to locate yourself, suburbs with good school districts, a lot of southern charm and not too far from the city. Johns Creek, Suwanee and Roswell are lovely too but more expensive and a bit further out. There is a large British contingent in Cumming, although that is a long way out and very strip- mally.

It was the best thing we ever did. We only planned to go for two years and ended up starting our family and staying ten. Who knows what opportunity this could be for your family, and if you only stay two years that will absolutely fly by. I say go for it. Good luck OP 😊

Thank you for all the replies, and especially to those who actually live / have lived there. The move would be a great career prospect for my husband and to be honest I'd love the opportunity for my kids to live abroad too. I was an army brat and grew up all over the world - it's good for children to learn there's more to life than our corner of the Home Counties! I've also lived in the States before as I did an exchange year in Virginia whilst at university - although student life will be very different to 'mom life' over there.

Safety/ crime rates - I know downtown Atlanta has a bad rep but we would look to live in the suburbs so I'm not massively worried.

My concerns are really all centred on moving with children - if it was just DH and I we'd move in a heartbeat. If we go, my red line is that I want to be back before DS starts Yr6 so that we're in the British system for secondary schools, but will the kids struggle swapping between American and British school environments?

And I would love advice on where to live for decent elementary schools that also work for DH commuting into Midtown!

This all is the same for us! We are in Decatur and our nearest neighbourhood Avondale has lots of micro breweries and we love that. I love that you loved Fox Bros - our kids are obsessed!
I would also add long weekends at lake Oconee (just over an hour away) and hiking to waterfalls and the kids get hot so they splash in the water and dry off on the way back - more of an outside life than London for us (might have been the ages of our kids were in London though!) Great sports programs for our kids - one son played in the Olympic development team for soccer/football. we never go to downtown Atlanta ( agree that’s it’s not great) we meet friends in lake Claire/Inman Park or Virginia highlands areas as well as Decatur / Avondale
we love the outside concerts at chastain park (you can bring food and drink in! Cheap nights!) There is good and bad everywhere but where we live everyone is very liberal leaning and we have no friends that have guns in their houses ( we always asked when the kids were small) so we are in a ‘like minded’ area and that makes a huge difference when you know that friends/work colleague see things your way
re - driving culture - we walk when we go out a lot - Decatur is very walkable so you just have to pick where you live according to what matters most to you.
our kids could walk/bike to almost all their friends houses and we have a great community here and it’s hard to imagine that when you look at the news from the UK but if you are serious come on a look see paid for by work - that’s what we did and get a realtor to show you houses in different areas as we have a great friend who is so knowledgeable as a realtor and can discuss school districts ratings along with house prices and taxes - they can be such a great resource.
my mum was worried about us moving here - every time she visits she gets chatting to the neighbors while walking our dog and is in peoples house for a tea/coffee - they are amazed at how different the reality of living here is to the America portrayed in the uk news. We love the heat but if you don’t like it it’s a longish summer that is the only time my mum complains is when she visits in the summer but she loves when we take them to the beach (30a beaches are the best)

If your visa doesn't allow you to work then you can't work full stop, even if it's for your existing employer remotely.

I'd go for it but it would all depend on the package DH's company is offering.

I'm American, although have never lived in Atlanta, and I think this is a very individual decision with pros and cons on both sides.

You have to factor in your personal feelings about the political situation and Georgia's fairly draconian reproductive health stance, and the fact that you won't be able to work, against what the family experience will be.

For me, the first three would need careful consideration, but I think the family part could be great if you're all on board for an adventure. As PP's have said, I have no doubt you can find a social circle you'll be happy with, and the opportunities for travel you probably wouldn't have done otherwise will be amazing. I also think it's generally beneficial for people to experience life in another country for at least a little while.

As for schooling, at your DC's ages, I don't think it will be a problem. The nice suburbs will no doubt have top tier state schools, but I'd do a bit of a dive to try to avoid the more conservative ones. I'd also be surprised if there wasn't an international school in Atlanta, if you wanted to go that route. I'd also keep in mind that it's worth finding a place to live that is walkable to some nice local amenities. I know I'd find it hard to adjust to needing to drive to everything.

Two years will fly by, but be warned - we came to London for two years and are still here nearly twenty years later.

I think anyone would be insane to move to the US right now. Sorry!

Not USA but friends/neighbours moved to Toronto a couple of years ago. The kids are now doing fine in schools though teething problems. The mother can’t work. They love the life there though.

Agreed with pp. they’re now staying at least until their kids finish high school.

I would have concerns what happens when you come home after 2 years. Where would the kids go to school? So many schools are over subscribed anyway, you won’t just be able to pop them back into the local primary school. And your oldest would need to apply for secondary schools before you come back- how would that work?

I haven’t t lived in Atlanta but was in Florida for 10yrs and spent some time in Atlanta. It’s like all big cities, there are good areas and bad areas, it’s up to you to find the good ones, and people on here have offered their advice… I’d definitely take them up in it! I’d move back to the US for a couple of years like a shot, I wouldn’t want to be there permanently but 2 years would be great.

Well my H did band tours in US and Atlanta is one of city’s he actually quite liked and he doesn’t like that many . Personally I wouldn’t go to the US at the moment , as I think there will be civil unrest incoming, but that’s a really individual thing .

I understand about the moving with children and wanting to move around school deadlines...
We moved back to the UK with children in tow so my eldest could start reception and in many ways it has been a lot harder than when we moved to the States, even though we know the UK and have family/friends here.

They will adapt, and through my experience working as a US TA, I think your kids will do fine in a US elementary. There may be some gaps in their learning(different history curriculum for example). I am sure they will be fine for just two years, to amalgamate back to year 7 UK - I will highlight what a previous poster said about the challenges of getting your child into a good school on your return. It worked out for us but we couldn't get into our first choice school.

One thing I failed to mention, was Atlanta traffic
It is notoriously horrendous. There isn't really any good public transport in Atlanta so your husband will need to drive...There are many good neighbourhoods near mid-town. Virginia Highlands, Morningside, Emory and some of the locations @JudyP mentioned would be good for Midtown and would have good schools.I am not sure of your financials, but they are very very pricey areas - we bought in the 'burbs right on the perimeter because rent was more than doubling near Morningside, where re initially rented. I am sure there are great up and coming places in the North West quadrant but I have no idea where, you're best to reach out to a realtor to help you. It's free, they'll just get a cut when you sign a lease.

There is a British School in Atlanta. I have visited it for work and it has great facilities (and commensurate fees). I would imagine staying in the British system is more of an issue for secondary than primary.

Yes, how could I forget about the lakes.So amazing for camping! The GA outdoors we miss so much, it's just not what people think about when they think "States" but it's gorgeous.

I love Decatur, my kids were born there. Avondale is lovely, we used to go there for the breweries too. We lived just a bit further out which we preferred because the traffic was sooo much better. Although we initially rented between Emory and Morningside and it was definitely more walkable, to restaurants etc and we could easily walk to friends out in our neighbourhood (how do we explain to OP about neighbourhoods, such an American concept really) but you still have to drive to get a lot of the places you actually NEED to go I think..

Fox Bros is iconic, we took all our friends and family there. I loved Fat Matt's too 🤤!

All these people saying how much they'd hate to live in America, I think "if only they knew, it's not all bad". The reality is so much different from what is portrayed in the media.

there are nice parts of Atlanta and regular houses seem to be beautiful big houses , give it a go, yolo!

Can you get an abortion in that state?

That would be crucial information for me before I’d even consider a move.